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Systems Alliance (MR)
era * era * era *Post-Reaper War *New Frontiers era}} The Systems Alliance―also referred to as the Alliance or the Earth Systems Alliance―is the representative body of Earth and all human colonies in Citadel space. Backed by Earth's most powerful nations, the Alliance has become humanity's military, exploratory, and economic spearhead. While the Alliance is relatively new to the galactic community, it has already made a name for itself, gaining humans an embassy on the Presidium. The Alliance was previously governed by a parliament based at Arcturus Station, which was also the Alliance's capital, before it's destruction during the Reaper War in 2186. Arkaios Station now functions as the Alliance's new capital upon its construction in 2201. History Establishment In 2148, a mining team on Mars made perhaps humanity's greatest discovery. After investigating the "Bermuda Triangle-like" reputation of the southern pole, the team unearthed the subterranean ruins of an ancient alien research station, revealing incontrovertible proof of the existence of alien life. Humanity was no longer alone in the universe. The impact was profound in all areas of human culture, but nowhere more so than religion. New beliefs sprang up overnight such as the Interventionary Evolutionists, who zealously proclaimed the discovery as proof that all human history had been directed and controlled by alien forces. Even established religions struggled to explain extraterrestrial life. Some tried to incorporate this new-found knowledge into their dogma, some remained silent, while a few tried to stubbornly deny the evidence found on Mars. The news of the discovery dominated the media and raised questions not only about the existence and purpose of humanity, but questions about the aliens themselves. Foremost, were they still out there? While these questions had served to fracture most religions they had a unifying effect in politics. Rather than nations fighting each other over their differences, it was now "us vs. them" and the foundations of a united human front were laid. Within a year of the discovery, Earth's eighteen largest nations had drafted and ratified the Systems Alliance charter, establishing a representative political body to expand and defend human territory. Shortly thereafter, the various nations of Earth pooled their military resources to create the Systems Alliance Military. The same year, 2149, the Alliance discovered the Sol system's mass relay orbiting Pluto, previously thought to be a moon, Charon. The Charon Relay propelled them into space and the reach of humanity grew quickly. First Contact War The Alliance began a rapid campaign of expansion, establishing numerous colonies and constructing a large fleet, even though it had yet to encounter another species. Maintaining this expansion policy, the Alliance activated all the mass relays it could find to seek out new resources and possible colonies. But despite this success, the Systems Alliance was not considered a serious political body, as it was considered to lack the authority of individual nations. Eight years later, humanity made first contact with another alien species and everything changed. A scout fleet consisting of three frigates and two cargo vessels, trying to activate a mass relay, encountered a turian patrol fleet. Activating a dormant mass relay without knowing where it led had been declared illegal by the Council, though the humans did not know this. Only one of the human ships made it back to Shanxi colony, which was subsequently discovered by the turians and invaded. While individual governments remained unsure on what action should be taken, the Alliance took control and attacked the turians. The resulting First Contact War was relatively short and bloodless, lasting only months and costing 623 human lives (with a slightly higher number of turian casualties). The Citadel Council intervened and negotiated a peace. With the discovery of the Citadel and the greater community, humanity leapt onto the galactic stage. The Alliance received a surge of popularity, which gave it the necessary political credibility to establish its own Parliament and speak for humanity as a whole. 'Expansion' Since then, the Alliance has continued its expansion, with the resource wealth of a dozen settled colonies and hundreds of industrial outposts flowing back to Earth. This expansion brought the Alliance into conflict with the batarians as both species rushed to settle the Skyllian Verge, while maintaining a careful truce with the turians. The Alliance has also been granted an embassy on the Citadel. It has been speculated, given humanity's remarkably fast rise in terms of military, political, and economic power, that the Systems Alliance may soon be invited to join the Citadel Council. This has been a source of some concern to several other species. Humans have expanded rapidly from Earth in a very short period of time, becoming swiftly integrated into Citadel society and the galactic economy. They have become less ethnically diverse in the twenty-second century, due to a more multicultural society and greater unity between nations. Improved medical advances and gene therapy have led to longer, healthier lifespans; the average citizen can now expect to live to around 150 years. Most humans retain their native tongue, but learn alien languages or trade pidgin for the sake of convenience or as a gesture of unity. One of the lasting consequences of the First Contact War was the interruption of a period of relative peace in the galaxy. Fairly or unfairly, humans are often thought of as aggressors, and are sometimes portrayed as a disruptive influence by non-human media. At the same time, other races recognise humans as an adaptable, intelligent and militarily capable race. 'Early stagnation' In the 2160s, the Alliance's ambassador on the Citadel, Anita Goyle, tried to induct a human into the Spectres as a first step toward a seat on the Council. Lieutenant David Anderson was selected as a candidate for the position due to his exemplary military service. Unfortunately, Anderson's observer, Saren Arterius, sabotaged his mission and falsified a report to the Council on what happened, foiling Anderson's Spectre prospects. 'Eden Prime War' The Alliance cooperated with the turians to create a new stealth frigate, the [[w:c:masseffect:SSV_Normandy|SSV Normandy SR-1]]. The Normandy was commissioned in 2183 with Anderson as her captain. A Spectre, Nihlus Kryik, was assigned to the Normandy's shakedown run, supposedly to observe Spectre candidate Commander John Shepard in action, though his true purpose was to recover a Prothean Beacon from Eden Prime. When Nihlus is killed by fellow Spectre Saren Arterius, John investigates and exposes Saren as a rogue agent working with the geth. Since the Council cannot formally pursue Saren into the Terminus Systems without provoking a war, John is made humanity's first Spectre, and the Alliance assigns the Commander control over the Normandy. Later, Saren's true plan comes to light when he brazenly attacks the Citadel. While the Reaper Sovereign besieges the station with the aid of a geth fleet, the Citadel Council attempts to evacuate aboard the Destiny Ascension. During the battle, Commander Shepard chooses whether to divert the Alliance Navy's Fifth Fleet to protect the Destiny Ascension and save the Council. Once Sovereign is destroyed, humanity is judged to have shown itself worthy and receives a Council seat. Regardless, the galaxy looks to humanity to lead them against the Reaper threat. Partly as a result of humanity's prominent new role in the politics of Citadel space, the Alliance headed a coalition force to systematically hunt down pockets of geth resistance. Political experts from all species have been debating what humanity's ascendancy means for Citadel space. Among the two candidates for human Council representative, Donnel Udina and David Anderson, the latter was endorsed by Shepard. Acting upon the first human Spectre's recommendation, Alliance Prime Minister Amul Shastri appointed Anderson as the Citadel's first human Councilor. 'Government and politics' The Alliance is responsible for the governance and defense of all extra-solar human colonies, and represents humanity on the galactic stage. It is a supranational government, and is based on a parliamentary system, with the Alliance Parliament based at Arcturus Station. It is unknown if the representation is based on the population of member nations on Earth and the colonies, or if all nations and colonies involved receive the same amount of parliamentary members. Several seats are elected by 'spacers' defined as citizens who spend a significant amount of their time in space and do not stay too long on any one colony or planet. The Alliance government is headed by a Prime Minister; as of 2186, this position was occupied by Amul Shastri. It is unknown whether the Prime Minister is an elected member of Parliament, or is appointed to the position. While the Alliance is a supranational government, the member nations retain their individual sovereignty back on Earth. Among the Citadel races, the Alliance is considered a sovereign nation and no other species has right of oversight into Alliance affairs. 'Diplomatic relations' Overall, the Systems Alliance enjoys good relations with the Asari Republics and the Salarian Union, and it maintains a cold, yet relatively friendly, relationship with the Turian Hierarchy, though animosity over the First Contact War and the occupation of Shanxi remains. The fractured krogan rarely associate with the Alliance, and there is little, if any, dialogue with the quarians and their Flotilla, though they are not on bad terms. Because of Earth's colonization of the Traverse and the Skyllian Verge, humans remain the natural rivals of the batarians. Practically, the Alliance has no other allies. In 2165 the Alliance was granted an embassy on the Citadel, electing w:c:masseffect:Anita_GoyleAnita Goyle as the first human ambassador. The Alliance desires a bigger role in galactic politics, preferably even a Council seat. If they get a seat, they can use the Council's resources and political pull to protect their colonies and interests, as well as being acknowledged as one of the senior races in Citadel space. The galaxy knows it is only a matter of time before the Alliance gets a say but the ambassadors believe it should happen sooner rather than later. In 2183, the Alliance got its first human Spectre, Commander John Shepard, bringing the Alliance one step closer to the Council. Despite Earth's relatively unblemished diplomatic record, however, the Alliance is still feared by many aliens because they hold the opinion that the Alliance is expanding too fast. The Alliance draws some distrust from humans as well. It was not taken seriously until the First Contact War proved how much humanity needed the Alliance; as Doctor Karin Chakwas points out, the Alliance is now essential to human colonization and expansion in the Attican Traverse. Currently, the Alliance's most notable human dissenters are supporters of the Terra Firma Party, a political parliamentary group in Alliance Parliament who opposes humanity's growing integration into the galactic community. Terra Firma believes humanity needs to stand alone if they are to remain strong. The party has been getting much negative attention from both humans and aliens. The Illusive Man, on the other hand, believes that humanity should be ascendant over all other races. He sees the Alliance as nothing more than weak conformists who kneel before the Council. The Alliance is also sometimes criticized by colonists for its defensive tactics (see above). The fact colonial garrisons are meant for scouting rather than defense means that, in the event of trouble, the cavalry often only arrive once the damage has been done. The Alliance is open to helping biotics integrate into normal human society, particularly welcoming their enlistment in the military. They now provide funding to the Ascension Project, a second-generation biotics training program, to allay any fears from the public that they are creating supersoldiers. However, some biotics, particularly L2s with severe health problems, oppose the Alliance, believing it is responsible for their suffering because of the failures in initial Alliance-sponsored biotic research. The issue of L2 reparations has created further anger and distrust. 'Economy' The Alliance has quickly become a key player in the galactic economy, with several large human corporations taking their market share. The Alliance economy, though growing, does not yet come close to that of the asari or turians and is only approaching that of the elcor. The Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy have become large trade partners despite lingering animosity over the First Contact War. Although humans have claimed many systems in the Attican Traverse and the Skyllian Verge, many of them contain rich resources which have not been fully surveyed, so the Alliance Geological Service (AGeS) offers bounties to those willing to explore these frontiers. The Alliance's various national treasuries are linked to the Citadel's credit network. According to the VI Glyph, the Alliance offers a number of benefits and a generous retirement package for its soldiers. After seven years of service, a sabbatical to a planet of choice can be arranged. 'Military' The Alliance military is respected by the Citadel races for its novel tactics and technology. Their strength lies in fire support, flexibility, and speed. The Council regards the Alliance as a "sleeping giant" as only 3% of humans volunteer for military service. They make up for low numbers with sophisticated technical support in the form of VIs, drones, artillery, and electronic warfare, and emphasis on mobility and individual initiative. Their military doctrine is not based on absorbing and dishing out heavy shocks like the turians and krogan. Rather, they bypass enemy strong points and launch deep into their rear, cutting supply lines and logistics, destroying headquarters and support units, leaving enemies to "wither on the vine". On defense, the Alliance military lives by Sun Tzu's maxim, "He who tries to defend everything defends nothing." Only token garrisons are placed on their colonies. These are intended for scouting rather than combat, avoiding engagement to observe and report on invaders using drones. However, the Alliance stations powerful fleets at mass relay nexuses so that in the event of an attack they respond with overwhelming force. The Hahne-Kedar company and Aldrin Labs are key suppliers of the military. All soldiers receive gene therapy for improved strength and stamina. The Alliance also recruits biotics, who are trained using techniques developed at BAaT. The new L3 biotic implants are considered a significant step forward in biotic amplification. 'Navy' The fleets are known collectively as the Alliance Navy, which is headquartered at Arcturus Station in the strategically invaluable system of Arcturus, which contains several primary mass relays that link to major human colonies, and the secondary mass relay that leads to Sol and the human homeworld of Earth. At the time of the First Contact War in 2157 CE, the Alliance possessed a navy consisting of over 200 vessels ranging from small hundred-meter frigates to imposing kilometer-long dreadnoughts and carriers. By 2183 CE, it is recognized as one of the greater military forces in Citadel space. As a signatory of the Treaty of Farixen, the Alliance is restricted to building and maintaining a smaller number of dreadnoughts compared to the turians. The Alliance Navy has made up for this with the innovative design and deployment of carriers, which are as large as dreadnoughts, but are not constrained by the treaty because their primary armament consists of fighters instead of ship-length mass accelerator cannons. : ENLISTED: :*'Serviceman 3rd Class' :*'Serviceman 2nd Class' :*'Serviceman 1st Class' :*'Specialist' : NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS: :*'Service Chief' :*'Gunnery Chief' :*'Operations Chief' : OFFICERS: :*'Second Lieutenant' :*'First Lieutenant' :*'Staff Lieutenant' :*'Lieutenant Commander' :*'Staff Commander' :*'Commander' :*'Captain' :*'Rear Admiral' :*'Admiral' :*'Fleet Admiral' 'Marines' The divide between naval personnel and ground forces is small. The Alliance Marines ground units are a specialized branch of the fleet, just as fighter squadrons are. Each marine, as a matter of pride, maintain some of their traditional rank titles; for example, marines have Privates and Corporals instead of Servicemen. : ENLISTED: :*'Private 2nd Class' :*'Private 1st Class' :*'Corporal' :*'Specialist' : NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS: :*'Sergeant' :*'Service Chief' :*'Gunnery Chief' :*'Operations Chief' : OFFICERS: :*'Second Lieutenant' :*'First Lieutenant' :*'Staff Lieutenant' :*'Captain' :*'Major' :*'Colonel' :*'General' 'Unit Organization' Marines are organized into units as follows. Troop counts are flexible based on operational necessity. *'Division': 10,000 marines, commanded by a Major as CO with a Captain as XO. Divisions are rarely seen assembled in one place outside of a larger colony world's garrison or a battlefield. *'Brigade': 1,000 marines, commanded by a Captain as CO with a Staff Lieutenant as XO. This is a heavy cruiser's maximum complement. It is also a typical size for a smaller colony's garrison. A capital ship might have more than one Brigade on board. *'Company': 100 marines, commanded by a First Lieutenant. The typical complement for a cruiser. *'Platoon': 50 marines, commanded by a Second Lieutenant. Marines are not usually deployed on long-term missions in smaller units than this. A platoon is a typical complement for a light cruiser. *'Squad': 10 marines, commanded by a Sergeant. It can be split into two fireteams, in addition to the Sergeant and at least one Specialist. This Specialist might be a heavy weapons operator, a tech or biotics user, a sniper, a special operations soldier, or a medic. *'Fireteam': 4 marines, led by a Corporal. The most basic tactical unit, and the least "formal" or "permanent". 'Other Branches' *'Judge Advocate General': The Office of the Judge Advocate General is responsible for handling all criminal matters concerning naval officers and enlisted members of the navy and the Marine corps. *'Naval Crime Investigation Service': NCIS serves as the primary security force within the navy, as well as enforcing the law aboard vessels and handling counter-terrorism. *'Alliance Research and Development': A classified division of the navy, Alliance R&D works to create new weaponry and technology solely for use by the Alliance. *'Systems Alliance Navy Special Operations Command': SANSOC is responsible for all special operations across the navy, including but not limited to Marine Force Recon and SFOD-Sandmen. *'Office of Naval Intelligence' (ONI): The ONI is responsible for SIGINT and HUMINT, as well as counter-espionage and propaganda. In addition to this ONI is in command of Task Force Prowler and SFOD-Orion. Category:MarkRulez711 Category:Articles by MarkRulez711 Category:Governments Category:Political Category:Humans Category:Factions Category:Organizations